The Truth About Breezepelt
by Anonymalous
Summary: What if Breezepelt is really the kit of Nightcloud and Hawkfrost? It would explain why he was born before Crowfeather's other kits, and why he's in the DF.
1. Prologue

_Through the silent, misty forest, a broad-shouldered dark tabby tomcat padded up to a boulder. His ice-blue eyes shone with admiration as he gazed up at the boulder, where another dark tabby tom was perched. The cat on the boulder bore a strong resemblance to the first tom, only with broader shoulders and glittering amber eyes._

_"Hawkfrost," growled the cat on the boulder, peering down at his son._

_"Tigerstar," Hawkfrost replied, equally gruff._

_The pair stood in silence for a few moments._

_"Well" asked Tigerstar, whipping his tail back and forth "What have you got to say for yourself?"_

_"A- about what?" Hawkfrost shivered. The one cat dead or alive who could strike fear into Hawkfrost, was his father._

_"You know very well _what_."_

_"I-I didn't mean to die."_

_"You failed," hissed Tigerstar. "You failed to kill Firestar, and Brambleclaw has joined him, the traitor! Now we are both doomed to wander these dark forests for the rest of eternity!"_

_"But surely there's something we can do."_

_"And what's more," Tigerstar continued. "You are going to have kits."_

_Hawkfrost stared at Tigerstar in horror, his fur bristling. "What? I don't have a mate."_

_"Yes, you do. I 've been watching you."_

_"But…but…" How could this be? _

_"She's pregnant, you fool!" Tigerstar lashed out at his son's muzzle, his claws unsheathed. Blood welled up on Hawkfrost's nose. "How could you be so mouse brained?"_

_"It's not a bad thing!" whimpered Hawfrost._

_"She a WindClan idiot! You couldn't have chosen a nice, ShadowClan she-cat...or better yet, a rogue?"_

_Like my mother, you mean? Hawkfrost bit back the rude reply and stared down at his paws instead. "It's not a big deal."_

_"Out of all Clans, WindClan is the most mouse-hearted. If you wanted to recruit her to our side, you would fail horribly."_

_An idea struck Hawkfrost, faster than a bolt of lightning. "Her kits will be our kin! We can recruit them! "_

_"Brambleclaw is our kin. What use was he?"_

_"None. " admitted Hawkfrost. "But I promise you, my kits will be on our side."_

_His father lashed his tail angrily. "Kits of WindClan? Never!"_

_"Of course they will." Hawkfrost stood up straight, holding his head high. "If we teach them from a very young age to depend on us, they will no doubt owe loyalty to us, and us only."_

_"They will be too connected to their mother," Tigerstar said dismissively._

_"No..." meowed Hawkfrost, the idea blossoming in his mind like flower buds in newleaf. "Not if something comes between the kits and their mother..."_

_"How are you going to manage that?"_

_"Oh, I will. Their mother still trusts me...I'll make sure something bad happens to those kits, so that they'll turn to us for help!"_

_Tigerstar glared at his son. "They're your kits. Do what you please."_

_Hawkfrost dipped his head, and stalked away from the clearing. He approached a murky pool of water surrounded by clumps of half-dead bramble bushes. He gazed into it, and saw his former mate- a black she-cat with luscious fur and tapered ears. She was streaking across the hills after her clanmates, eyes washed with grief._

_Now, what could he do to his kits to make them come begging to him, to make them feel pain so harsh that they HAD to join the dark side?_

_He spotted the answer in a cluster of Windclan warriors. Hawkfrost's gaze fell upon Crowfeather, a young dark grey warrior who was scowling deeply as he carried his prey back to his hunting patrol. Crowfeather had recently fallen in love with a ThunderClann medicine cat, but had given her up. His clanmates were still deeply mistrustful of him. Hawkfrost guessed that Crowfeather woud do anything to be accepted again, even taking someone he didn't love as a mate._

_It was perfect. Hawkfrost's kits would grow up thinking Crowfeather was their father, and what better pain is there then having a bitter-tounged, insensitive fool for a father? The kits would be vulnerable and easy to recruit._

_Yes, thought Hawkfrost. Crowfeather it is!_


	2. Chapter 1

**(A/N): Yes, I know this story is moons old, but I suddenly remembered it after I started re-reading Dawn. And it's a good thing I did, because now I actually think this story is going somewhere. Yay!**  
**Thank you, Cutie-Shayla, Koraki, and "WarriorsRULE" for the Reviews! (I LOVE LOVE LOVE reviews, seriously :)**

"Nightcloud! Nightcloud!" cried the voices of all of WindClan, combined in one loud mew as they chanted her name.

The newly-made warrior stepped off the stump, blushing with pride. She nodded politely at her former mentor, who was beaming at her. Her parents, Mudclaw and Robinwing, padded up to her. Robinwnig began licking her daughter forcefully, purring with pride, but Mudclaw simply stood by the side and stared at Nightcloud. There was a mix of satisfaction and hesitance in his yellow eyes.

Robinwing stopped and turned to her mate. "Well?" she growled.

"Congratulations," mumbled Mudclaw, obviously trying to look sincere. Nightcloud couldn't help but notice how thin and famished her father looked, his mottled dark brown pelt shaggy and his tail drooping. "Now I'm going to go find my apprentice."

Without even glancing back at her, he headed across the camp towards Crowpaw. Nightcloud flicked her ears forward in irritation. Stupid Crowpaw was so precious to Mudclaw, just because he had a sharp toungue and could fight badgers. Crowpaw had always been an annoying furball, but since he got back from his journey he had been unbearable.

Robinwing followed her daughter's eyes. "Your father's just trying to help Crowpaw. You know it's hard for the poor thing..."

Nightclaw clenched her jaws, curling her claws inward to keep from lashing out. She let out her breath slowly, looking about the Clan. Her temporary euphoria from the warrior ceremony had worn off. Now everything seemed as pitiful as it had before. Tallstar lay feebly upon the stump, his eyelids half-closed as every breath wheezed through his bone-thin body, like a trickle of water dribbling slowly over a formation of rock. The queens and elders huddled in their dens, pelts pressed close for warmth. There was an empty spot of grass in the middle of the camp, which was usually the place for the fresh-kill pile. Everything seemed so lifeless, as if they had lost all hope.

"Nightcloud!" exclaimed Weaselpaw, an apprentice she had trained iwth.

"You're a warrior. You're so lucky," Thistlepaw said with a tiny sigh. "I'll never finish my training at this rate."

"Typical," muttered Nightcloud. _Apprentices are so juvenile_, she thought, even though she had been Nightpaw up until a few seconds ago.

"What's typical?" asked Weaselpaw curiously.

"All of you apprentices. Do you really have nothing better to worry about than whether you'll become warriors? " Nightcloud gloomily licked her paw and dragged it back over her ear.

The apprentices gaped at her, hurt by her sudden rudeness. Nightcloud didn't care. She told it as she saw it. Someone had to knock sense into these brats, and it might as well be her!

"I'm sure you'll all get your chance," Robinwing mewed encouragingly, and Nightcloud knew that her mother was only saying this to make the apprentices -especially Thistlepaw, who was her own apprentice- feel better about their bleak futures.

"Hmph," said Weaselpaw skeptically.

...

"Nightcloud, would you like to come on patrol with us?"

Nightcloud opened her eyes to see Tornear, one of the senior warriors, standing over her. He was flicking his tail form side to side impatiently. She glanced over to see Whitetail and -_oh, no_- Crowpaw sitting and waitng for them.

"Sure," she agreed, knowing Crowpaw would probably complain to her father if she didn't. And she didn't want Mudclaw thinking she was some kind of lazy mousebrain, or that Crowpaw was a better cat than her.

They made their way out of camp towards the RiverClan border. Nightcloud's paws scrunched over the dead, frost-covered grass, making little crunchy noises. At one point, Nightcloud heard a slight rustling noise, and whipped around with a quick movement. she spotted a rabbit sitting in the middle of the grass, sniffing at a plant. It hardly had enough meat on its bones to feet a half-starved kit, but still, every bite counted. Besides, Nightcloud wanted to prove to the Clan that Crowapw wasn't the only one who could catch prey.

She raced after it, panting hard. After a few seconds, she realized she couldn't keep up with its speed, not with her limbs so weary. She found hr head spinning from exhaustion after running just a few fox-lengths. Not willing to give up, she begged her fatigued paws to keep moving. She could do it! Yes, she was almost...almost-

_BAM!_ Trying to take a sharp turn over the hill, Nightcloud had run straight into one of the few trees on the moorland. She lay splayed upon the grass, one leg over her head. Not bothering to straighten herself out, she gave a huge sigh. Why couldn't she do anything right?

"What in StarClan's name are you doing?" exclaimed an upside-down Crowpaw.

Nightcloud's fur prickled with embarrassment, and she pulled herself to a standing position. " I was chasing a rabbit and it got away."

Whitetail gave a soft purr of sympathy, but Crowpaw scowled. "And you just didn't see the tree there?"

"It was a huge rabbit!" she lied.

"Well then why didn't you tell us?" Crowpaw frowned at her.

"I wanted to catch it mayself." She was struggling to keep her calm and not lunge at him with claws unsheathed. _Warriors don't pick fights_, she told herself. _And I'm a warrior now._

Crowpaw sighed. "You should leave things like that to more experienced cats."

"You watch your tongue, you mangy furball! I'm a warrior!" Nightclouds fur began to bristle.

Crowpaw lashed his tail in anger. "You don't act like one."

"What do you know? I've been working my paws off, while you were off Starclan-knows-where!"

"I didn't say you werent!"

Whitetail stepped between the two younger cats. "That's enough, you two. Don't claw each other's eyes out. "

"Yes, we have to get going," added Tornear.

So they set out across the moors again, and as they walked, Whitetail fell into place beside Nightcloud, matching her pace.

"Rudeness won't get you a mate," Whitetail said with a twinkle in her green tyes.

"I don't care about that." Nightcloud felt confused.

Whitetail smiled knowingly. "It's okay. You don't have to admit it. "

"Admit what?" Nightcloud asked, frowning.

"That you have feelings for him."

"Who?"

Whitetail rolled her eyes. "Crowpaw, of course!"

Nightcloud's jaw dropped. "WHAT? You think I-Crowpaw...?"

" Yes, it's pretty obvious, the way you react to him."

"But I don't..."

"Shh, you don't have to be ashamed. He's a brave cat."

"No, I really don't have feelings for him! " Nightcloud clawed at the ground. "You've got it all wrong!"

"It's all right, Nightcloud. I won't tell anyone else, but I suspect half the Clan already knows."

"No...no, that's not right!"

"You're still in denial," Whitetail brushed the younger cat's pelt with her gray tail-tip in affection. "I remember I was like that too."

"You're misunderstanding me!" Nightcloud insisted.

...

At the border, Nightcloud spotted a dark tabby tom chasing after a tawny-colored cat. She thought the tawny-colored tom looked a bit familiar. But before she could figure it out, Tornear cried out "Gorsetail? Is that you?"

"Yes, yes." he panted as he leaped over the border.

The dark tabby tom stopped running and watched the patrol, his intense blue eyes absorbing everything. Nightcloud was able to put a name to his face. Hawkfrost. He was the kit of a rogue cat who had been taken into RiverClan, and he was also the current RiverClan deputy. By broad daylight, Nightcloud saw that he was rather attractive, with handsome, broad shoulders, and a well-groomed pelt.

"Where have you been?" asked Whitetail, sounding like she half expected him to have a tale about journeys and badgers and mountain cats.

"I got captured by TwoLegs."

"Twolegs?" exclaimed Whitetail.

"What would Twolegs want with us?" asked Crowpaw.

Gorsetail shrugged. "It beats me. Mistyfoot from RiverClan was there too-"

"Mistyfoot is alive?" broke in Hawkfrost from the other side of the border. All five WindClan cats turned to look at him.

"Yes," said Gorsetail. "I guess that means you'll lose your deputyship, huh?"

"None of your business," snapped Hawkfrost, and Nightcloud couldn't blame him for being upsest. How must it feel to know you were going to have all your power taken from you right under your paws?

"Anyway, Leafpaw of ThunderClan was there too, and some other ThunderClan cats..." continued Gorsetail.

"Leafpaw, as in, the medicine cat?" interrupted Crowpaw.

"Yes, Firestar's daughter. Then some other ThunderClan cats came and rescued us."

"Why is it always ThunderClan?" mumbled Nightcloud. "Why is it never ShadowClan, or RiverClan?"

"Because Firestar's a meddling fox-face," Hawkfrost grumbled in a low voice.

Nightcloud glanced at him, and their eyes met. Did he mean for her to hear that, or had he just been talking to himself? She looked quickly away.


End file.
